It’s time to review how to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order once more. With the Secret Invasion lurking in the shadows, we must dig out our box sets and Disney Plus subscriptions to catch up on the plot.
But now that we’re 44 (!) MCU projects in. It’s easier said than done. So we’ve done the legwork and arranged everything into simple watch order lists for you below.
First, here’s how to watch Marvel movies and shows chronologically. Going from Iron Man to Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Secret Invasion is smooth and uncomplicated. However, please remember that we only listed whole projects, not one-shots or projects that don’t fully fit into the official canon, such as Agents of SHIELD.
Following that, we’ll delve deeper into the Marvel timeline with a guide to watching the MCU movies chronologically. This weaves from the 1940s to the ‘current day’ of 2026 in the cosmos. We’ll also address additional concerns, such as what is (and isn’t) available on Disney Plus and how Across the Spider-Verse and Netflix’s Daredevil fit into the larger Marvel Studios tale.
Check out our guide to coming Marvel movies and our Guardians 3 finale summary for more information.
MCU order: all 44 Marvel movies and shows
How to watch the Marvel movies in order – release order
Best for: Newcomers to the Marvel movies.
First and foremost, here’s how to watch Marvel movies in chronological order. Marvel films are split into Phases, with the end of a Phase often signaling the natural conclusion of a story arc. As a result, the start of a Phase denotes the introduction of new, significant characters.
We’ll go through Phases 1-5 in the release order below. This includes WandaVision/Falcon, The Winter Soldier/Loki/Moon Knight/She-Hulk, and other characters. The Disney Plus series aren’t movies, but they’re just as crucial to the overall tale.
Phase One:
- 1. Iron Man (2008)
- 2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
- 3. Iron Man 2 (2010)
- 4. Thor (2011)
- 5. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
- 6. The Avengers (2012)
Phase Two:
- 7. Iron Man 3 (2013)
- 8. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- 9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- 10. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- 11. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- 12. Ant-Man (2015)
Phase Three:
- 13. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- 14. Doctor Strange (2016)
- 15. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017)
- 16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- 17. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- 18. Black Panther (2017)
- 19. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- 20. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- 21. Captain Marvel (2019)
- 22. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- 23. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Phase Four:
- 24. WandaVision (Disney Plus series, 2021)
- 25. Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney Plus series, 2021)
- 26. Loki season 1 (Disney Plus series)
- 27. Black Widow (2021)
- 28. What If…? (Disney Plus series, 2021)
- 29. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
- 30. Eternals (2021)
- 31. Hawkeye (Disney Plus series, 2021)
- 32. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
- 33. Moon Knight (Disney Plus series, 2022)
- 34. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
- 35. Ms. Marvel (Disney Plus series, 2022)
- 36. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- 37. I Am Groot (Disney Plus series, 2022)
- 38. She-Hulk (Disney Plus series, 2022)
- 39. Werewolf By Night (Disney Plus special, 2022)
- 40. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
- 41. Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special (Disney Plus special, 2022)
Phase Five:
- 42. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- 43. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (2023)
- 44. Secret Invasion (2023)
Do you want to jump in right now? The majority of Marvel movies may be found on Disney Plus. Check out our Disney Plus bundles page to find the greatest bargains on the streaming service.
We also know much about what’s coming up, thanks to Marvel’s plans for Phase 5 (which has just begun) and beyond. Out of the current list, Deadpool 3 is the only one that isn’t directly related to a Phase, but we’re comfortable putting it alongside Blade for now because Fantastic Four will kick off Marvel’s Phase 6.
Here’s a sample of the Marvel movies coming out in the coming years – and for a full rundown, check out our explanation of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows coming your way soon.
Marvel Phase 5:
- Loki season 2 – October 9, 2023 (Disney Plus series)
- The Marvels (AKA Captain Marvel 2) – November 10, 2023
- Echo – November 29, 2023 (Disney Plus series)
- Ironheart – TBC 2023/2024 (Disney Plus series)
- Agatha: Coven of Chaos – TBC 2023/2024 (Disney Plus series)
- Daredevil: Born Again – Spring 2024 (Disney Plus series)
- Deadpool 3 – May 3, 2024
- Captain America: Brave New World – July 26, 2024
- Thunderbolts – December 20, 2024
- Blade – February 14, 2025
Marvel Phase 6:
- Fantastic Four – May 2, 2025
- Avengers: The Kang Dynasty – May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars – May 7, 2027
TBA (unreleased):
- Shang-Chi 2 – TBA
- Nova – TBA
- Armor Wars – TBA
- Wakanda/Okoye spin-off – TBA (Disney Plus series)
- Wonder Man – TBA (Disney Plus series)
- What If…? season 2 – TBA (Disney Plus series)
- What If…? season 3 – TBA (Disney Plus series)
- Spider-Man: Freshman Year – TBA (Disney Plus series)
- Spider-Man: Sophomore Year – TBA (Disney Plus series)
- Marvel Zombies – TBA (Disney Plus series)
How to watch the Marvel movies in order – chronological order
Best for: MCU veterans looking for a new way to watch.
Want to see the MCU in a slightly differen light? Then you’ll perhaps want to know how to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order.
This is more complicated than the last list. Fortunately, Marvel has revealed most of each film’s official years. That includes the likes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which occur between Endgame and Far From Home, and Hawkeye, which takes place around No Way Home. We are now in the years 2025 and 2026. She-Hulk, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania all appear to occur in that not-too-distant future year. Secret Invasion and Guardians 3 follow in roughly 2026.
But be warned: Marvel occasionally takes artistic license with the chronological order of some of these articles. Our list uses Marvel’s official Disney Plus order as a sort guide, but certain things may feel odd if you consider it too hard. Werewolf by Night, we’re staring at you. For the completists, the I Am Groot short ‘First Steps’ takes place before Guardians 2, while the rest of the shorts take place after that sequel. For now, we’ve placed Secret Invasion as the most recent project in the timeline order.
- 1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)
- 2. Captain Marvel (1995)
- 3. Iron Man (2010)
- 4. Iron Man 2 (2011)
- 5. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
- 6. Thor (2011)
- 7. The Avengers (2012)
- 8. Iron Man 3 (2012)
- 9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- 10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
- 11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- 12. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2014)
- 13. I Am Groot (2014)
- 14. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- 15. Ant-Man (2015)
- 16. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- 17. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
- 18. Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
- 19. Black Widow (2017)
- 20. Black Panther (2017)
- 21. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- 22. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)
- 23. Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
- 24. Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
- 25. Loki (outside of our conception of time, but around here!)
- 26. What If…? (also outside of our conception of time!)
- 27. WandaVision (2023)
- 28. Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2023-2024)
- 29. Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2023-2024)
- 30. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2024)
- 31. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2024)
- 32. Eternals (2024)
- 33. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2024)
- 34. Hawkeye (Christmas 2024)
- 35. Moon Knight (2025)
- 36. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2025)
- 37. She-Hulk (2025)
- 38. Ms. Marvel (2025)
- 39. Thor: Love and Thunder (2025)
- 40. Werewolf By Night (2025)
- 41. Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2025)
- 42. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2025)
- 43. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (2026)
- 44. Secret Invasion (2026)
Non-MCU Marvel movies and shows in the MCU
Best for: Anyone who wants to fully appreciate No Way Home
Now comes the confusing part: the multiverse. We’ve seen many Spider-Man villains from the multiverse in the MCU thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home, and to completely grasp everyone’s motives and intents in No Way Home. You’ll need to watch a lot of prior Spider-Man movies.
These take home in three alternate timelines: one in which Tobey Maguire plays Spider-Man, another in which Andrew Garfield plays Spider-Man, and a third in which Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock becomes the villain Venom. Check out our directory to watching the Spider-Man movies for a thorough examination of the subject.
You might also be interested in Across the Spider-Verse. Technically, it exists as part of the larger multiverse (No Way Home was mentioned in the Spider-Verse sequel). Still, it doesn’t have to be watched in any particular order other than within the context of its trilogy.
- (2002) Spider-Man
- Spider-Man 2 (2004)
- Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
- Venom (2018)
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
- Morbius (2022)
You might also be interested in Across the Spider-Verse. Technically, it exists as part of the larger multiverse (No Way Home was mentioned in the Spider-Verse sequel). Still, it doesn’t have to be watched in any particular order other than within the context of its trilogy.
Then there are The Defenders, who are a part of the MCU but also aren’t. They begin strongly associate with movies and gradually lose any connection – owing primarily to their origins as Netflix products. They’re all on Disney Plus now, and if you want to watch Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and The Punisher, you’ll need to know the watch order. Fortunately, we have precisely what you’re looking for: how to watch The Defenders Saga in order. Daredevil’s plot, which began with She-Hulk and will conclude with Born Again in 2024, starts loosely where the Netflix series left off. Those three Netflix seasons aren’t officially canon, but Charlie Cox’s reappearance and an intriguing Secret Invasion connection are about as close as we’ll come to evidence that The Defenders Saga exists in the MCU.
How to watch the Marvel movies in order on Disney Plus
Best for: People with a Disney Plus subscription
Disney Plus has altered the streaming landscape. Disney’s foray into the internet content battles has made a significant impact, bringing all of Mouse’s iconic movies together in one place. Additionally, there are original shows, plus the majority of Marvel movies.
Find all the Marvel movies now available on Disney Plus and soon below. The Incredible Hulk and most Spider-Man movies are not available on Disney Plus. This is because Universal owns the rights to Hulk, while Sony owns the rights to Spider-Man – however, Far From Home is available in the UK, and Home Coming has recently made its way onto the service.
Quantumania is also now available on Disney Plus, and we anticipate that the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Disney Plus release date will be in July.
- Iron Man
- Thor
- Iron Man 2
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- The Avengers
- Iron Man 3
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Thor: The Dark World
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Captain Marvel
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- WandaVision
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Loki
- Black Widow
- What If…?
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Hawkeye
- Moon Knight
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Ms. Marvel
- She-Hulk
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Werewolf By Night
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Secret Invasion
That’s how you watch the Marvel movies in chronological order. So, what are you holding out for? If you don’t already have Disney Plus, here are the most recent Disney Plus sign-up bargains worldwide. Now that the Disney Plus free trial is no longer available, it’s the greatest way to get the most bang for your buck.
Check out our in-depth article on how to watch the X-Men movies in order, the Star Wars movies in order, and the DC movies in order for more information on movie watch orders.
